Archive for the ‘racing suit’ tag

Bonnie Bedelia’s Nomex and helmet from Heart Like a Wheel. Photos courtesy Profiles in History.

In December of 2011, a Nomex suit worn by Steve McQueen during the filming of the epic 1971 motion picture Le Mans crossed the block at a Profiles in History auction of Hollywood memorabilia. When the frenzy of bidding ended, the white driver’s suit with the Gulf logo and the embroidered “Michael Delaney” name above the breast pocket had sold for an astonishing $984,000, more than three times the pre-auction estimate value. On December 21, Profiles in History will again offer up a Nomex fire suit, worn by Bonnie Bedalia (as Shirley Muldowney) in the big-screen drag racing epic, Heart Like A Wheel, and the pre-auction estimate is considerably less ambitious.

Released in 1983, Heart Like a Wheel tells the story of Muldowney’s struggles to achieve respect and success in a male-dominated sport. Bonnie Bedalia, in the film’s title role, was reportedly not the first choice of Shirley Muldowney, who had envisioned Jamie Lee Curtis portraying her on the silver screen. Muldowney made no attempt to hide her dislike for Bedalia, reportedly telling an interviewer that the actress, “didn’t even like racing,” and that she “got out of the race car like she was getting up from the dinner table.” Muldowney wasn’t entirely happy with the final cut of Heart Like a Wheel, either, as it ended up being a semi-fictionalized account of her early career. Differences aside, Muldowney was the first to admit that the film was highly beneficial to the sport that she loved. It was beneficial to Bedelia’s career as well, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for best actress, while giving William Theiss an Academy Award nomination for best costume design.

As offered by Profiles in History, the lot for sale includes the Deist Safety Nomex suit worn by Bedelia in the film (black, with pink and purple trim and flowers embroidered on the shoulders), along with a pink Bell helmet. The back of the jacket is emblazoned with “Lariat Cologne,” presumably because Muldowney’s actual sponsor, English Leather, didn’t agree to the terms (i.e. cost) dictated by the studio for inclusion in the film. Described as being in production-used condition, complete with costumer’s tags, the suit is expected to fetch between $1,500 and $2,500.

Profiles in History’s Hollywood Auction 62 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 21. For additional details, visit ProfilesInHistory.com.

One industry that’s having little difficulty in the post-2008 economy is the one that’s grown up around collectibles associated with Steve McQueen, particularly as they relate to his self-made 1971 racing epic, Le Mans. We just got word that Profiles in History, of Calabasas Hills, California, plans a July auction with a couple of primo lots from the film.

One of them is a Simpson Nomex fire-resistant race jacket with blue lateral stripes down the arms and embroidered Gulf patch on the left chest. “Steve McQueen” is embroidered in cursive script on the right chest with the American flag sewn on the left shoulder. It was worn by McQueen in between scenes and on idle days during the filming of Le Mans; it wore his own name rather than the name of his character, Michael Delaney, to avoid pre-film public confusion.

Profiles in History is hanging an $80,000-$120,000 pre-sale estimate on the McQueen jacket. Another piece of Le Mans heritage carries a more breathtaking estimate: The Heuer Monaco wristwatch that McQueen’s character famously wore in the film has a pre-sale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000, far outdistancing the last McQueen timepiece sold on the block, a Rolex Submariner that hammered for $234,000 in 2009.

The exact July date and location for the auction hasn’t been set. For more information, visit ProfilesinHistory.com.

We’re starting to believe Steve McQueen was the latter-day incarnation of Midas, particularly when combined with his legendary racing film Le Mans: First his Porsche 911, which he drove in the film, sold at auction for $1.25 million, and now the racing suit he wore in the film has sold for a whopping $984,000.

Sold at the Profiles in History Icons of Hollywood auction this past weekend in Beverly Hills, McQueen’s Solar Productions donated the suit in 1971 to the British newspaper, The Observer, for a special Le Mans-themed contest, won by 12-year-old Timothy Davies of Wolverhampton. Profiles in History described it as “the Holy Grail of racing film costumes” and gave it a pre-auction estimate of just $200,000 to $300,000, which now seems rather meager in comparison.

And that’s not all. Also selling at the auction this past weekend was one of the DMC De Loreans used in Back to the Future III, allegedly one of three remaining and the only one of those three in private hands. The De Lorean met the dealer’s estimate of $400,000 to $600,000, bringing $541,200, still an amazing figure for a car with an average (non celebrity provenance) value that hovers around $30,000.

Interest in American actor Steve McQueen has never waned, even more than 30 years after his death. This legendary car guy’s films and possessions are always in demand. After all, his 1970 Porsche 911 S fetched $1.25 million this summer, and his 1974 Husqvarna 400 Cross brought close to $150,000 a few months before that.

So it’s with no small interest that we’ll follow the sale of this racing suit from Le Mans, the one that he wore as race driver Michael Delaney in the same 1971 Solar Productions film in which that 911 appeared, to see what it brings as it’s offered during the “Icons of Hollywood” auction hosted by Profiles in History.

Image of Steve McQueen in Le Mans, copyright Solar Productions 1971

The two-piece racing suit features pants and a zipper – and velcro-closure jacket, which is embroidered with the character’s name and includes the famous Gulf Oil livery stripes, sponsor patches from Heuer Chronograph, Firestone and Hinchman Nomex and the United States flag.

Profiles in History describes its history:

When principal filming of Le Mans was completed, Solar Productions donated this suit to the British newspaper, The Observer, for a special Le Mans-themed contest in 1971. By answering three Le Mans history questions correctly, 12-year-old Timothy Davies of Wolverhampton, England, was chosen as the winner and presented with the suit by racing driver Richard “Dickie” Attwood, winner of the 1970 Le Mans race and driver of the Porsche 917K Gulf car during driving sequences in the film. Filmed on location in Le Mans, France, the film’s spellbinding cinematography provides a thrilling glimpse of the sights and sounds of Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s, locked in fierce competition for outright victory. It featured footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and remains popular with racing enthusiasts today as it accurately depicted the era with lots of racing and minimal dialogue. The film featured numerous top-level racing drivers of the day for the driving sequences including Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman, Jo Siffert and many others. The suit is in excellent condition and without question, one of the pinnacles of motorsport memorabilia and the Holy Grail of racing film costumes.

The memorabilia dealer suggests that the McQueen Le Mans suit will bring between $200,000 and $300,000, but judging by the recent RM sale, we think there’s a chance it may handily surpass that figure.

The auction will take place December 15-17 at The Paley Center for Media in Beverley Hills, California.